Fighting Depression—Naturally

6 science-backed solutions

While many us believe family and a spoonful of frosting (OK, three spoonfuls) can help us weather tough times, a majority of Amercians—93% to be exact, according to a 2011 Gallup poll—also believe in something else: God. And recent research in the Journal of Affective Disorders finds that high-power believers may be onto something, especially if they are suffering from mental illness.

For more insight on how belief in God or some sort of higher power can positively impact mental health, researchers recruited 159 outpatients (the majority of whom were suffering from depression) from a cognitive behavioral therapy program at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. Patients were assessed on four things: belief in God, treatment credibility (e.g., “How confident would you be in recommending this treatment to a friend?”), emotional regulation (how we change the way we think about emotions), and the amount of support received from a spiritual or religious community. There were also measures of depression, psychological well-being, and self-harm at the start and finish of the year-long study.

Researchers found that participants who believed in God or a higher power were more likely to respond to their treatment and improve psychological well-being, as well as experience a reduction in depression and self-harm, than non-believers.

Why? Researchers cite the existing notion that believing, and expecting, a treatment will work for you is a strong indicator of its success. "It is possible that when patients believe in God, they draw on their spiritual faith in the context of emotional distress, and thereby remain hopeful that their treatment will be helpful to them," says lead study author David Rosmarin, PhD, an instructor in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and assistant psychologist at McLean Hospital. "Virtually none of the non-believers in our study had high levels of belief that treatment would be effective. It's therefore possible that a lack of faith in God may render it difficult to maintain faith in treatment, which in turn can make it harder to benefit from the treatment process."

More and more alternative measures are being found to successfully treat mentally ill patients. “Emerging research is showing that physical exercise and meditation may help improve depressive symptoms in patients with mild-moderate depression,” says Aditi Nerurkar, MD, an integrative medicine physician at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. (Read how Prevention’s editor-at-large Denise Foley made time to treat herself with meditation.)

The key, adds Dr. Nerurkar, is to do so with close medical supervision. “Depression is a serious and, in some cases, life-threatening medical condition, so working with your doctor to create a treatment plan that uses the best of what conventional medicine and unconventional therapies have to offer is always the safest approach,” she says. (Diagnosed with depression? Here’s how to find a therapist that’s right for you.)

Faith, exercise, and meditation aren’t the only unexpected sources of relief for people with depression. While working with your doctor or therapist, consider these three other options:

Massage The Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine found that massage therapy increases levels of serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters that help reduce depression and anxiety. Try these tips to give yourself a massage at home.

Journals Studies show that people who keep a gratitude journal—a journal where you write down a few things you’re grateful for each night before bed—can have a positive lift in mood that lasts for months, says Dr. Weil. (For more ways to treat depression naturally, click here.)